The Bahamas Investor

...t the First Regional Seminar on Tourism held in August in Nassau, Minister of State for Tourism and Aviation Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace called for greater use of technology by small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the sector. The two-day seminar attracted tourism representatives from across the Caribbean. September September started with the announcement that Wendy Warren, chief executive officer and executive director of the Bahamas Financ......

...nd spend time learning the ins and outs of crafting UN policy. “It’s a platform for me to learn about world issues and international issues and also get perspectives from people from different countries,” said 21-year-old Kenyan delegate Gertrude Chelimo. “We want to be diplomats in the future so we’re training ourselves.” Chelimo is part of a group of international relations students from Nairobi’s United States International University. Chelimo......

...financial services industry in The Bahamas should start with the creation of a state-of-the-art, adequately funded and resourced Ministry of Financial Services, dedicated solely to achieving significant growth and expansion,” the senior partner at McKinney Bancroft & Hughes told attendees at the Nassau conference. Winder counters: “Time is not on your side in the financial services industry. You cannot wait around until government meets. I do not......

...re opportunities and challenges facing the industry. According to Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Zhivargo Laing the industry’s buzzword over the next few years must be “efficiency.” “We have to have greater output,” he said. “The world we are in is extraordinarily sophisticated and demanding and will not settle for mediocrity.” The end goal, according to Bruce Weatherill, chief executive officer of his eponymous consulting firm, shou......

...f non-cash financial transactions, such as pre-paid credit cards. Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing led the debate on the Payment Systems Bill, 2011. The bill was seconded by Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham tabled the proposed legislation in the lower chambers earlier in the week. Payment systems is the term used to describe the transfer of money using alternatives other than cash. These payment met......

State Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Zhivargo Laing, and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative Astrid Wynter have signed a $612,000 technical co-operation grant to help strengthen The Bahamas’ fiscal policy. The resources were provided by the Japan Special Fund to the IDB. Japanese Ambassador to The Bahamas, Jamaica and Belize, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, also signed the documents. The government’s contribution to the project is $153,......

...ay conference. Keynote speakers this year include Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State for Finance, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation, and Algernon Cargill, Director, National Insurance Board. The third annual International Business and Finance Summit (IBFS) follows shortly after on February 3-5 at the Abaco Beach Resort at Boat Harbour in Marsh Harbour, Abaco. Presented by the Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB), IBFS......

...sentations by 11 government and business leaders: Zhivargo Laing, Minister of State for Finance Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Algernon Cargill, Director, National Insurance Board Astryd Winter, country representative, IDB Jerry C Butler, chairman, Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum Fred Perpall, managing director, The Beck Group Gowon Bowe, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Ian Fair, chairman, Bahamas Maritime Authority......

...n all legislative/regulatory proposals. On 24th October 2011, the Minister of State for Finance, Hon. Zhivargo Laing, the Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, Hon. Lawrence Cartwright, and Mrs. Wendy Craigg, Governor, Central Bank of The Bahamas met with members of the board and management of the various credit unions, to formally introduce the Project. The Project team comprises Mr. Pierre Seguin, Technical Adviser; Mrs. Wendy Craigg, Pr......

...contracts. He was joined by Education Minister Desmond Bannister; Minister of State for Social Development Loretta Butler-Turner; Permanent Secretary Colin Higgs; director John Canton and engineer Robert Mouzas. A ceremony was held at the dockside in Clarence Town to mark the occasion. Witnessing the event was administrator Jordan Ritchie, chief councillor Ian Knowles and other local government representatives, residents and students of Morrisvill......

...elopment was. “NAD’s board of directors is committed to ensuring that this state-of-the-art airport is developed with precision and care and in a manner that emphasizes sustainability and community benefits,” he said. The final stage will involve the design construction and opening of a new International and Domestic Departures/Domestic Arrivals Terminal at the location of the existing International Arrivals Hall. Stage Three carries a $72.5-milli......

...At the conclusion of the construction period, the Block will comprise six state-of-the-art operating theatres with modern technology “on par with, and in some instances, surpassing major healthcare facilities in the developed world,” says Minister Minnis. The unit will also comprise 18 recovery beds, 20 ICU (Intensive Care Unit) rooms; 48 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) beds, new laboratory facilities, upgraded administrative facilities; upgr......

...ning–totaling $10.9 million–to Caribbean countries. With the US Department of State and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security has worked with Caribbean partners through the CBSI to develop a fingerprint collection system that will help officials check criminals against terrorism and criminal databases. In the future, Napolitano said the US hopes to expand its immigration and customs enforcement partner units in t......

...ndham Resort , Cable Beach earlier in the month, Phenton Neymour, Minister of State for the Environment, said that the Fichtner report suggested solar water heaters in hotel kitchens, more natural shading and ventilation in resort architectural design, and compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) or light-emitting diode (LED) lighting with motion detectors and automatic shut-off timers in high to low traffic areas. “Research has suggested that the largest e......

...Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham met with Cable and Wireless Communications (CWC) chief executive officer, Geoff Houston, during a courtesy call to the Office of the Prime Minister, Cable Beach, on September 28. CWC acquired a 51 per cent controlling stake in the previously state-owned Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) in April this year. The shares were purchased at a cost of $210 million.......